In the high-stakes world of the NFL, kickers are often treated like insurance policies. You don’t think about them until everything else goes wrong. But for the Houston Texans, Ka’imi Fairbairn isn't just an insurance policy, he’s the foundational last leg.

On Wednesday, the NFL officially named Fairbairn the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 18. While "Player of the Week" honors are common, this specific nod feels less like a weekly award and more like a coronation for one of the most historic individual seasons a kicker has ever had.

To understand why Fairbairn earned this honor, you only have to look at the Texans' 38-30 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. With a playoff berth on the line, Fairbairn was a flawless 6-for-6 on field goals.

The variety was staggering. He hit from 51, 48, 29, 43, 44, and finally, a 43-yard dagger with just 12 seconds remaining to secure the lead. In a game where the offense occasionally stalled in the red zone, Fairbairn acted as a 20-point vacuum, ensuring that no drive went unrewarded.

Beyond the single-game heroics, Fairbairn used Week 18 to etch his name into the NFL record books. By hitting those six field goals, he reached 44 made field goals for the season, tying David Akers (2011) for the most in a single season in NFL history.

What makes this even more impressive? Fairbairn missed two games due to injury earlier in the year. He achieved a league-all-time record in just 15 games.

Ka’imi Fairbairn (2025 Regular Season)

Fairbairn’s award also marks a historic "three-peat" for the Texans' locker room. For the first time in franchise history, Houston has swept the AFC Player of the Week honors for three consecutive weeks:

This is a testament to Special Teams Coordinator Frank Ross, who has turned "the third phase" into a weapon rather than a liability. Having a kicker who can reliably hit from 50+ yards changes how DeMeco Ryans calls a game. It allows the Texans to be aggressive, knowing that once they cross the 35-yard line, they are essentially in scoring range.

As the Texans head into the Wild Card round against the Steelers, having the most prolific kicker in NFL history is a massive psychological advantage. In the playoffs, games are won on the margins—a missed extra point here, a 50-yarder there.

Fairbairn’s Week 18 wasn't just about winning an award, it was a reminder to the rest of the AFC that if a game comes down to a kick, the Texans have the best in the business.